Human Trafficking: NAPTIP flays U.S. reports

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has expressed dissatisfaction with the United States’ report on Trafficking In Persons (TIP).

The report upgraded the NAPTIP to Tier 2 from Tier 2 Watch List.
The Director-General of the agency, Ms Julie Okah-Donli, told newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja that Nigeria had occupied that position for two years.
The 2019 U.S. TIP report was released on June 20 by the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.
According to Okah-Donli, the report did not give due credit to the efforts being made by Nigeria and NAPTIP, in particular.
“Our response is based on the fact that Nigeria has doubled its rate of prosecutions and convictions in the last one year, including investigations and awareness creation,” she said.
The director-general also listed other areas of focus to include high scale enlightenment across the country, rehabilitation and sheltering of trafficked victims, and diligent prosecution of government officials suspected to be involved in human trafficking offences.
Okah-Donli noted that considering Nigeria’s efforts vis-a-vis other countries equally rated by the report, it ought to top the Tier 1 table rather than still being in Tier 2.
Although the director-general said that the report was received with mixed feelings, she said that NAPTIP had commenced discussions with other sister law enforcement agencies and MDAs on the development.
This, she said, was with a view to mapping out strategic plans in response to the issues raised in the reports.

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